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How to Find Happiness Even When It’s Tough

Happy Fix was built
to celebrate the great in life because Happy Feels Good. One of our
goals is to help people make a conscious decision to stop negative
thinking and to populate their world with things that make them happy --
activities, experiences, friendships, love and memories. While we
acknowledge that there are situations beyond our control, it is our
reaction to those events and situations that dictate the outcomes. It’s
never easy when something truly difficult happens to you, especially
when that something is a major event with a huge impact on people’s
lives. It’s tough to plow forward during these times and try to greet
negative situations with a positive reaction.

One
of the things difficult situations provide us with is the opportunity
to pause, reflect, and evaluate where we are and where we are going.
Here are some takeaways from recent events that I’ve been thinking
about:

1. Relationships are everything -- In this world where we
are constantly striving for more, don’t let your relationships take a
back seat. Call your mom, dad, friends or siblings more frequently.
Send a card to somebody who is not expecting it. Make time to get
together with the people you love. Eat at the dinner table. Go for a
hike. Celebrate what’s great together.

2. Life is much too short
to be unhappy -- Whether you are in a job that you don’t love or there
are things in your life that need to change, value yourself enough to
make hard choices and prioritize your happiness. Don’t put things off
due to fear of failure or what other people will think of you; you never
know how much time you will have to make necessary changes. Embrace
them knowing that change is inevitable and you can either take control
of your life or leave it in the hands of others.

3. Don’t delay
experiences -- Whenever I see a friend or neighbor at the grocery store
or on a walk, we usually end the conversation by saying “We really need
to get together” and then never follow-through. From now on, I’m going
to be more deliberate in my invitations, instead of being so nebulous.
Make the effort. Set a date. If there is something you want to do,
make a plan and do it. You don’t know whether or not you will have that
chance again.

4. True happiness is shared with others --
Happiness is one of those things that you can’t contain. If you have a
kind word for others, share it. Leave people feeling better than you did
when you first ran into them. Share your happiness with others,
always; invite them into your optimistic world and let them live there
for a while. Make it a goal every morning, to positively impact the
lives of those you come in contact with. Positive energy begets
positive energy.

5. Love generously, easily and out loud -- I was
lucky enough to be brought up in a family that does this constantly.
We hug. We kiss. We say “I love you,” with abandon. As a result, I
never leave the house without telling everybody who’s in it that I love
them. As my sons can attest, even if they are in the shower I yell it
to them and wait for a response. I try not to end a phone call without
telling the friend or family member that I love them. Like happiness,
love is meant to be shared with others and always makes this world a
happier place.

6. The "why" doesn’t matter -- When bad things
happen, a lot of people’s reaction is “Why?” Recently, I had a
revelation: the "why" doesn’t matter unless it’s something you have the
power to change. The why may grant us a measure of peace which is good,
but it doesn’t change what happened. You can torture yourself with the
why. The reality is we may never know. It is what it is, our new
normal and we must move forward, as hard as that is.

Every day
you wake up, you have the opportunity to get everything you can out of
this life and leave the world a better place than when you found it.
Personally, I hope to do that by having Happy Fix be a constant reminder
to celebrate the great in life and to help others do the same.

Stacy
Menzies is President of Happy Fix®, a North Carolina-based positive
lifestyle company helping people celebrate what's great because happy
feels good. Happy Fix products are designed to be continual reminders
that positive thinking can improve your life. For more information visit
www.happyfix.com.